Typical electrical signal conduction paths to one or more integrated circuits and, or, other semiconductor devices on a substrate assembly comprises having a plurality of metal electrically conductive paths defined by a metal layer pattern on the substrate. Electrical signals are sent to the one or more devices on the substrate along the predefined electrically conductive metal paths to the targeted one or more ICs and devices as needed and the output signals from these devices are then again transmitted along yet more electrically conductive metal paths from those devices to another device on the substrate, or to an edge of the substrate to be connected to a conventional connector off the substrate.
As the real estate on a substrate continuously diminish due to increased number of components and signal paths, signal interference from these closely spaced signal paths create signal interference such as EMI, cross-talk, jitter, and other signal perturbations on the signals being transmitted along the signal paths on the substrate. These signal perturbations become increasingly significant to the integrity of the signals transmitted along the substrate as the operating frequency of the semiconductor devices on the substrate increases. In addition, very high frequency signals transmitted to the semiconductor devices are also perturbed by other electrical activities, such high or low frequency signals, reference voltage source or ground signals contributing to noise along the closely spaced signal paths of the substrate. Additionally, it would be preferable to minimize presence of high current generated by high voltage reference signals through the substrate and near semiconductor devices that also contribute to increasing signal degradation. There is therefore a need to provide improved signal conduction paths for semiconductor substrates that reduce signal degradation of signals on a substrate, while preferably also increasing routing space available on a substrate.